ISL 2022-23: Dheeraj stands tall, Sadaoui sparkles as FC Goa beat Chennaiyin FC 2-0

R. Parthibhan/Focus Sports/ ISL

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FC Goa scored once in each half to beat Chennaiyin FC 2-0 to secure their second successive win in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai. With two wins in two, FC Goa go to the top of the table and are the only team with a 100% win record this season. Redeem Tlang scored in the 11th minute and Noah Sadaoui wrapped up the points in the 92nd minute.

Both sides made one change to their starting XIs for this game. Devansh Dabas took his place between the sticks for Chennaiyin, replacing the suspended Debjit Majumder. Carlos Pena handed Sadaoui his first start in place of Alvaro Vazquez.

It did not take long for the first goal as Goa took the lead in the 10th minute. Sadaoui found himself at the end of a beautiful long pass from midfield. The Moroccan was marked tightly by Fallou Diagne, but he used his quick feet to put a cross in from the left before Redeem Tlang skipped in front of his marker Narayan Das, and nodded the ball past Dabas into the net.

Twenty minutes into the first half, Goa 'keeper Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem produced two spectacular saves to keep his side's lead intact. Prasanth Karuthadathkuni cut the ball back into the path of Rahim Ali, whose effort was palmed onto the bar by Dheeraj, who then got up quickly and flung himself to keep out the rebound by Petar Sliskovic.

In the next minute, at the other end, Sadaoui was in a one-on-one situation with Dabas, but shot wide. 

A few minutes later, Jiteshwor Singh was unmarked inside the box and got the ball in a good position. However, Dheeraj once again stood between Chennaiyin and the equaliser.

A minute before half-time, Sliskovic attempted to score from a tight angle. Dheeraj was on his toes once again to deny the Croatian. In first-half stoppage time, FC Goa broke on the counter with four players against Chennaiyin's two. Sadaoui slid the ball to Glan Martins who scuffed his shot wide.Attackers from both sides were kept at bay till the 90-minute mark. Twelve minutes were added on to account for a stoppage due to Dheeraj's head injury, that saw him replaced by Arshdeep Singh.

Thomas Brdaric made attacking changes and committed men forward in such of the equaliser, but that left them vulnerable at the back, and Sadaoui quickly capitalized on that. In the second minute of stoppage time, the Moroccan put the game to bed with a composed finish past Dabas.